Seeking the Shalom of the City
Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. — Jeremiah 29:6-7
- We are all different, work differently, see things differently, behave differently
- It is not easy to engage to the city
- Seeking peace, Shalom, not just for ourselves, but also for things and people around us, shalom for the city, shalom for all
- Two faulty agendas (for a city)
- Babylon agenda VS Tribal agenda
- Babylon agenda: assimilate people from land they conquered
- Tribal agenda: engage the city, but in the inside, disdain the city; just using it, despise the city; a selfish, fortress mentality
- God’s Agenda v5-7
- seek welfare of the city
- bring flourishing to everybody
- work for city’s shalom
- pray for city’s shalom
- Source of energy to seek shalom is the Gospel
- God gives us permission to love the city
